News & Information

Former Rhapsody president to speak

'Napsterization' of music industry topic of CLU event

April 15, 2014

Under Jon Irwin's leadership, Rhapsody International expanded and more than doubled its subscriber base.

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – April 15, 2014) The former president of streaming music service Rhapsody International will discuss “The Napsterization of the Music Industry” at the last event in California Lutheran University’s 2013-2014 Corporate Leaders Breakfast series.

Jon Irwin of Thousand Oaks will speak from 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, in Lundring Events Center on the Thousand Oaks campus. Breakfast and networking will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Irwin joined Rhapsody America in 2009, serving as chief operating officer and chief of staff before planning and overseeing the company’s spinoff from parent Real Networks. He became president in 2010 and under his leadership, Rhapsody expanded and more than doubled its subscriber base. It acquired Napster from Best Buy in 2011. Irwin stepped down as president in late 2013 as part of a restructuring after Columbus Nova Technology Partners became a significant investor.

Specializing in building subscription businesses throughout his career, Irwin previously held senior positions with telecommunications companies including Boingo Wireless, Earthlink, InfoNet Services and WorldCom. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has served on CLU’s Board of Regents since 2010.

The Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series brings members of the business and civic communities together to share ideas and hear from prominent leaders in the region.

Lundring Events Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court. Reservations are requested by May 2. To RSVP or for more information, contact Sharon Nelson at smnelso@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3150 or go to callutheran.edu/clb.